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break off, the paper gets clogged with dust and cutting no longer takes place-only rubbing. And this rubbing has the effect of polishing or glazing the wood's surface, not smoothing it. Sanding efficiently means go- ing through a lot of sandpaper. It's a hard rule to get used to, but I save a great deal of time and sweat by throwing away sandpaper before it gets dull. You can feel the paper lose its cutting action when sanding gets easier. This is because the paper is sliding over the surface instead of digging in. Use tbe oldest belt or disc until it is dull, then throw the old one out and reach for a new one. That way you won't have 50 partially used sanding belts on the shelf.· The shadows left by glue may not be visible until the finish is applied, so around glue joints sand a bit more to ensure that tbe glue will be completely removed. I always try to err on the side of sanding too much rather than too little. When it looks like you're finished, sand just a little more. If you're using a penetrating oil finish, you'll want the surface as smooth as possible, up to about 400 grit. But if you're using a water- or alcohol-based stain, the stain will raise the grain when it is applied, so stopping at 150 or 220 grit makes more sense. Tbe first coat of finish sealer, paste filler, stain or primer will harden and stabilize the surface. Then move to the finer grits, from 180 to 400. Read and follow the instructions that come with the finishing materials before you start the sanding process. Let the tools and sandpaper do the work. In no time, your project will be perfectly sanded and ready for finish. D Lon Schleining is a stairbuilder and woodworking instructor in Long Beach, Calif. 84 FINE WOODWORKING Flattening a tabletop Flattening a tabletop is one of the toughest sanding jobs, especially if your gluedup boards are not quite flush with one another_ But the plan of attack is quite simple: Remove the high spots and avoid sanding the low spots_ Here's the easiest way I've found to bring a tabletop flat_ cause they will eventually be the low point to which you must work once they're flush. With a belt sander, I sand with 100 grit at about a 45° angle, first to the right of the grain pattern and then to the left. Sand evenly in both directions. This way there's a chevron pattern to the sanding marks. 4 1 2 and coat it in chalk to see where the top is not flat. Rubbing the board across the top quickly highlights the high spots where more sanding is needed. "3 Once you sand off all of the chalk, start the process over. Eventually, the piece will be flat. If this sounds oversimplified, it's not. Once the surface is flat, use the same grit to sand with the grain to remove the cross-grain scratches. It's possible to do this flattening with a well-tuned and very sharp hand plane using the same technique, but you risk digging into the work or causing tearout. On the other hand, for a few dollars, a commercial drum sander can flatten your tabletop in just a few minutes. Use a straight board as a batten First concentrate on the glue joints be